From Bali. With ♥

Spent 3 days in Bali. Seemed short, but we felt like we were there for quite a long time. Why? We were out on the streets of Bali for 12 hours each day. Sounds short? Not really. Bali is a place heavy with its own culture. Everywhere and every corner you go, you’ll see nothing else but Bali/Indonesian. When you are exposed to so much of its culture, you think of nothing but only the place itself. Hence, the feelings of staying there for quite a long time.

The pace in Bali, neither rush nor slow. They’re all hard-working people. Most of the locals are in the tourism business. Restaurants (the locals called it “warung”) are everywhere. Handicrafts and souvenirs are there to meet every of your gaze. Drivers and tour guides occupying most of the tourists places.

People there are working so hard to earn a living. You can’t blame them for being pushy in selling things to the tourists. That is all they can do to make ends meet. One could hardly understand unless one sees how their life depends so much on the tourism. Our nice driver Mr. Bagus told us during the time of 2002 Bali Bombing, they were hit badly. For 3 months consecutively, they experienced their darkest time.

It isn’t easy to make a living there. Mr. Bagus told us he doesn’t get customers everyday. He sometimes do not get a single customer for 2 weeks continuously. He said he would so much want to visit Malaysia, but he has to save more money first. Now, being a driver in Bali isn’t as profitable as some of us may think.

Bali is a place to relax your body and mind. It is also a destination to do some soul-searching. By looking at how the locals earn their living, you will learn to be grateful and contented with what you have now.